Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Sinn Féin will hold a protest at 1pm today in Daunt Square to mark the government handover of €1.25 billion to unsecured bondholders in Anglo-Irish Bank.

Speaking in advance of the event, party councillor Chris O’Leary said:

“Today the government will pay out €1.25 billion to unsecured bondholders at Anglo Irish Bank. This money could be used to reverse all the social welfare and education cuts in the budget, or to abolish the €100 household charge. Instead it will be paid out to anonymous investors in a defunct bank.”

.“Further payments to bondholders are set for later this month, while in March the government will pay out €3 billion on the promissory note used to recapitalise Anglo Irish Bank. In other words, within three months Anglo-Irish Bank will cost more the entire sum of cutbacks and tax-increases in December’s budget.”

“The Irish people are under no moral or legal obligation to pay unsecured bondholders in Anglo-Irish Bank. These investors took a gamble, now they must take their loss. Ireland is being bled dry to cover the banking debts at Anglo.”

“At 1pm today Sinn Féin activists will hold a protest against the handover of this money at Daunt Square. I am encouraging people to join us and make their voices heard. I am asking the people of Cork to tell the government loud and clear - ‘Stop the Handover’.

Monday, January 16, 2012

A Sinn Féin motion due before Cork City Council this evening will ask it to oppose planned cuts to the DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) scheme announced in December’s budget.

Speaking in advance of the meeting, Cllr Mick Nugent said:

“While the announcement by Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn that his department is to review the cutbacks is welcome, it does not go far enough. These cuts to funding for disadvantaged students should be reversed, pure and simple”

“If implemented, the cuts could lead to 19 schools across Cork City losing 88 teaching posts. They are indefensible and wrong. Today we are asking Cork City Council to add it voice to the campaign to protect these teaching posts.”

“The Minister’s u-turn last week was a result of the campaign waged by parents and teachers from DEIS schools and the pressure brought to bear by Sinn Féin’s motion on the issue in the Dáil. We need to keep up that pressure until the cuts are reversed in full, and that is what this evening’s motion is about.”

Monday, January 9, 2012

Councillor Mick Nugent has called on Cork TDs from all parties to support a Sinn Féin motion to be debated in Leinster House this week which demands the government reverse cuts to the pupil-teacher ratio in DEIS schools introduced in December’s budget.

Cllr Nugent said:

“The cuts to education announced in last month’s budget are indefensible. The government is continuing to implement the policies of its predecessors in Fianna Fail by targeting the most vulnerable within our education system.”

“Cork is one of the areas that will be worst affected by the proposed cuts to the pupil-teacher ratio in DEIS schools. If implemented, they would affect 19 schools in the city with the loss of up to 88 teachers.”

“Sinn Féin has submitted a motion which will be debated in the Dáil next Wednesday and Thursday, calling on the government not to cut teacher numbers in disadvantaged schools. These cuts will result in the loss of hundreds of teachers who play a key role in ensuring some of our most vulnerable young people receive a decent education.”

“If the government press ahead then much of the progress that has been made in our education system over the last decade will be lost. It will cause irreparable damage to many young peoples’ lives and have serious implications for wider Irish society and its economy.”

“I am calling on local TDs to stand up for disadvantaged schools in Cork and support the Sinn Féin motion next week.”

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Speaking after attending a protest against the threatened closure of the Cork Centre for the Unemployed yesterday, Jonathan O’Brien TD has called on FÁS and the Cork Council of Trade Unions to do everything in their power to keep the centre open.

Deputy O’Brien said:

“The Cork Centre for the Unemployed provides a vital service to the nearly 40,000 people without work in Cork. Its importance is underlined by the latest figures for the Live Register, which show a further rise in long-term unemployment.”

“There is an onus on all the stakeholders involved to work together to secure the future of the Centre. I have written to both FÁS and the Cork Council of Trade Unions to seek a meeting on the issue.”

“I am pleased that the Council of Trade Unions is meeting with workers at the Centre today, and hopefully they will be able to identify ways in which the Council can assist the continued operation of the Centre.”

“A crucial role in resolving the matter lies with FÁS. It has been claimed the agency has concerns about the management of the Centre. If this is the case then it should state the nature of these concerns and publish any reports on the matter.”

"Whatever issues FÁS may have, the solution lies in open discussion with the workers and possibly changes in management procedures at the Centre. Simply to withdraw funding for CE places and close the service is unacceptable.”

Jonathan O’Brien TD has expressed his deep disappointment at news that the funding for the “Dial to Stop Drug Dealing” initiative has been discontinued with almost immediate effect. The service will terminate this Friday.

Deputy O’Brien said:

“The Dial to Stop Drug Dealing” free phone number was a successful initiative which Sinn Féin had long campaigned for. I very much regret the announcement that funding for the scheme is to be terminated and the phone line will no longer be in operation from this Friday.”

“This service provided a means by which the public could report drug dealing in their communities confidentially and anonymously. The Gardaí have reported substantial success in seizing drugs as a result of information received on the “dial to stop drug dealing” line. I want to thank all those who used the facility in the fight against drug dealers who have destroyed many lives, families and communities across Cork.”

“The sad reality of drug dealing is reflected in the number of drug deaths which we have seen across the city in recent years. Without further action the drugs problem will only worsen.”

"The phone line was another resource for tackling drug abuse that will now be absent. While we all understand the financial pressure facing the country, the cost of this service is small compared to the potential benefits it offered communities and Gardai in their efforts to combat drug dealing. We simply cannot allow the fight against drugs to be hindered in this way. The stakes are too high."

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Jonathan O’Brien TD has expressed his deep disappointment at news that the funding for the “Dial to Stop Drug Dealing” initiative has been discontinued with almost immediate effect. The service will terminate this Friday.

Deputy O’Brien said:

“The Dial to Stop Drug Dealing” free phone number was a successful initiative which Sinn Féin had long campaigned for. I very much regret the announcement that funding for the scheme is to be terminated and the phone line will no longer be in operation from this Friday.”

“This service provided a means by which the public could report drug dealing in their communities confidentially and anonymously. The Gardaí have reported substantial success in seizing drugs as a result of information received on the “dial to stop drug dealing” line. I want to thank all those who used the facility in the fight against drug dealers who have destroyed many lives, families and communities across Cork.”

“The sad reality of drug dealing is reflected in the number of drug deaths which we have seen across the city in recent years. Without further action the drugs problem will only worsen.”

"The phone line was another resource for tackling drug abuse that will now be absent. While we all understand the financial pressure facing the country, the cost of this service is small compared to the potential benefits it offered communities and Gardai in their efforts to combat drug dealing. We simply cannot allow the fight against drugs to be hindered in this way. The stakes are too high."

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Sinn Féin councillor Mick Nugent has commended staff and supporters of the Cork Centre for the Unemployed for their efforts to keep the centre open, and called on FÁS to reconsider its position on withdrawing CE funding.

Cllr Nugent said:

“The staff and volunteers at the Cork Centre for the Unemployed are to be commended for their decision to keep the centre open on a voluntary basis, after the withdrawal by FÁS of community employment places.”

“With 40,000 people unemployed in Cork, the range of services provided by the centre has never been more necessary. It is ironic that a facility which has been open for nearly two decades should face the threat of closure now at a time when unemployment is at its highest since the 1980s.”

“The Cork Centre for the Unemployed is the only one of its kind in the city, and it is important that it is kept open.”

“FÁS should use the lease of life the staff have given the centre to reconsider their decision to withdraw funding for CE places while the facility can still be saved.”